Nonmetal nose guard



y v A. R. DEVOE 2,471,063

NONMETAL NOSE GUARD Filed Feb. 27, 1946 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY ARTHUR RAYMOND-DEVOE BY/MWM.

Patented May 24, 1949 NONMETAL NOSE GUARD Arthur R. Devoe, North Attleboro, Mass, assignor to The Bishop Company,

North Attleboro,

Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application February 27, 1946, Serial No. 650,657

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to ophthalmic mountings, and more particularly to nose guards and supports therefor. From a more specific aspect, the invention relates to nose guards for ophthalmic mountings comprising non-metal material,

Metal nose guards are undesirably non-yielding when in contact with the sides of the nose. This objection may be overcome by employing non-metal nose guards, but they are too fragile. Many attempts have therefore been made to produce non-metal nose guards that shall have the softness of feeling of the non-metal, but that shall nevertheless not be breakable. In order to meet the objection of fragility, nose guards have been proposed the nose-contacting portions of which are of non-metal, but backed by reinforcing metal. Many different variations of this type of reinforced non-metal nose guard have been in actual use, but they are all undesirable for two reasons, among others. First, the reinforcing metal takes away from the flexibility of th non-metal; behind the flexible yielding nonmetal in contact with the nose is the reinforcing metal backing that transmits its unyielding characteristics to the non-metal. Secondly, the expense of manufacture is enhanced by the labor and materials involved in the joining of the metal and the non-metal. One of these disadvantages has been removed in the proposal of an entirely unreinforced non-metal guard. This proposal, however, has always included supplying metal, wholly or in part, for the supporting stud by means of which the otherwise unreinforced nonmetal guard was mounted on the nose-guard support, and the use of this metal necessarily entails the second disadvantage of increasing the labor and expense of manufacture. It has accordingly been proposed to make a nose guard wholly of non-metal, the supporting stud included, but this proposal it has apparently not been possible heretofore to extend to a rocking nose guard that bear-s upon a large portion of the side of the nose.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved non-metal unreinforced nose guard that shall be integrally provided with upper and lower nose-bearing portions of large enough area to render them adjustable to conform to the configuration of the nose, and continuously connected together by an intermediately disposed nose-bearing portion, the intermediately disposed nose-bearing portion being integrally provided with a reduced neck of the nonmetal material that may be mounted loosely to rock in a loop of the nose-guard support, and

with an enlarged head of the non-metal material beyond the neck for confining the neck in the loop. The non-metal material is preferably tough, yet not brittle.

It is not, however, soft but, on the contrary, is hard enough to retain the shape to which it is adjusted.

Another object is to provide an ophthalmic mounting upon which th improved nose guard of the present invention may be detachably mounted. The nose guard is thus removable, replaceable, and interchangeable.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved all-non-metal nose guard, including even the attaching stud for the nose-guard support.

Other and further objects will be explained hereinafter, and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention will now be more fully explained in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich Fig. 1 is a perspective of an expansible loop; Fig. 2 is a perspective of the non-metal nose guard of the present invention; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective, on a smaller scale, showing two expansible loops, mounted on an ophthalmic frame, with two guards loosely moimted in the loops; Fig. 4 is a perspective similar to Fig. 3, and on the same scale, of a modified expansible loop; Fig. 5 is a perspective similar to Fig. 2 of a modified nose guard embodying the present invention; and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspectiv similar to Fig. 3 of an ophthalmic mounting embodying the eXpansible loop shown in Fig. 4.

The nose guard of the present invention is constituted wholly of unreinforced non-metal material, in order that it may have essentially the flexibility and the yielding and other desirable characteristics of the non-metal material. It is shown provided with a plaque having upper and lower nose-bearing portions [0 and 28, each of large enough area to render it adjustable to conform to the configuration of the nose, and continuously connected together by an intermediately disposed nose-bearing portion 30. The intermediately disposed nose-bearing portion 30 is integrally provided on its rear, or non-nose-bearing face, with a reduced neck M of the nonmetal material, terminating in an enlarged head l2 of the non-metal material. The reduced neck I l and the head 12 correspond to the metal or part-metal stud heretofore employed, but they are constituted wholly of non-metal material integral with the plaque.

The reduced neck 14 may be loosely mounted rendered expansible to to rock within a loop provided between pairs of oppositely disposed prongs 4 and 6 of a short metal nose-guard support 2, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, or between the pair of prongs 6 and a wall 32 disposed opposite thereto provided on a long metal nose-guard-supporting arm 20, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6. The nose-guard supports 2 and 20. are shown secured .to an ophthal mic mounting l8 in any desired way, as by soldering; the nose-guard support 2 by means of a terminal neck 8, and port 20 by means of a terminal arm 26. Both nose-guard supports 2 and 20 are adjustable, but the longer nose-guard-supporting. arm 20. is naturally capable of a wider rangecof adjustment,

When it is desired to detach a nose guard from the guard support, the corresponding loop is expanded by bending away from each other its oppositely disposed prong-carrying walls. The neck M of another nose guard is then inserted between these. bent-away walls, and the prong.- carrying walls are thereupon readjusted by bending. in order to enclose the neck I 4, butloosely. The loop becomes thus mounted loosely about the neck 14, in the spaces 16 therearound, andbecomes confinedbetween the plaque and the head I2, to permit of universal rocking movement of the noseguard on its support.

The. guard is wholly constituted of non-metal material, unbacked by any reinforcing or supporting metal, thus providing an integral onepiece unbacked all-non-metalguard. Any suitable non-metal material may be employed. A preferred methodv of making the guard is to mold a nylon-plastic thermo-plastic powder. Owing to the relatively small size of the neck H, the non-metal material should not be too soft, else it would easily twist off. It should not, on the other hand, be too hardand brittle. ItLshould be just-sufliciently non-brittle and tough for the purpose in hand, else it would be too fragile.

It will be observed that the nose guard of the present invention is not. headed over after the neck l4 has been mounted in the expansible loop,

but that the head I 2 is formed integrally with the plaque andthe neck I4, and that the loop is permit mounting the guard on the guard support by means of the ina teg'ral non-metal stud comprising the neck l4 and the head 12. It is therefore possible to interchange guards on the ophthalmic mounting without injuring the guard;

Modifications will occur to persons skilled in the art, and'all such are considered to fall Within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in. th appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A nose guard constituted wholly of an integr'al. one piece plaque of unreinforced nonmetal material having upper and lower nosebearing portions continuously connected together by an intermediately disposed nose-bearing portion integrally provided with a reduced neck of the nose-guard sup-- the non-metal material terminating in an enlarged head of the non-metal material, the nonmetal material of the upper and lower nosebearing portions being flexible for adjustment into conformity with the configuration of the nose but hard enough to retain the shape to which they are adjusted yet yielding for engagement with the nose.

2. A nose guard constituted wholly of an integral one-piece plaque of unreinforced molded nyfloinplastic material having upper and lower nose-bearing portions continuously connected together by an intermediately disposed nose-bearing portion integrally provided with a reduced neck of the nylon-plastic material terminating in an enlarged head ofthe nylon-plastic material, the nylon-plastic material of the upper and lower nosedaearing portions being flexible for adjustment into conformity with the configuration of the nose but hard enough to retain the shape to which they are. adjusted yet yielding for engagement with the nose.

3. An ophthalmic mounting comprising a nose guard and a support therefor, the nose guard being constituted. of unreinforced non-metal material and comprising a plaque having upper and lower nose-bearing portions of large enough area to render them adjustable to conform to the configuration of the nose and continuously connected together by an intermediately disposed nose-bearing portion, the non-metal material being flexible and yielding for engagement with the nose but hard enough to retain its adjusted shape, and the immediately disposed portion being integrally provided with a reduced neck of the nonmetal material terminating in an enlarged head of the non-metal material, the support having a loop loosely mounted about the neck. and confined'between the plaque and the head to permit rocking movement of the nose guard on the support, the loop being expansible to permit mounting the neck therein, and the Walls of the loop being thereafter adjustable to. cause the loop to enclose the neck in order to mount the nose guard on the support.

ARTHUR R. DEVOE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,200,992 Searles Oct. 10, 1916 1,808,448 Baker June 2, 1931 1,955,843 Welsh Apr. 24, 1934 2,045,508 Yoe June 23, 1936 2,147,802 Scharfeld Feb. 21, 1939 2,250,336 Vitolo July 22, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 824,899 France Nov. 18, 1937 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,471,063. May 24, 1949.

ARTHUR R. DEVOE It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 4, line 34, claim 3, for the Word immediately read intermediately;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 11th day of October, A. D. 1949.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Am'stant Uommz'ssz'oner of Patents.

Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,471,063. May 24, 1949.

ARTHUR R. DEVOE It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 4, line 34, claim 3, for the word immediately read intermediately;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the casein the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 11th day of October, A. D. 1949.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

